The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting won an award in early August for being an early adopter of an AI software used to tackle a backlog of building permits.
The DPP made the switch from their old system to the new HNL Build.
Previously on The Conversation, DPP Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna spoke about one piece of the overhaul: a new AI tool called CivCheck.
Starting in September, applicants for residential permits will be required to use the tool.
Proponents of the AI software say it cuts review times for residential permits by 70%, and the system is already in use in other cities like Seattle, Denver and San Jose.
To learn more about how the software is being integrated with the city of Honolulu, HPR spoke with Cyrus Symoom, CEO of Clariti Software, which owns CivCheck.
“Ultimately, our belief at Clariti and the reason that we focused on governments is we think that governments are deserving of better technology, and governments are often the last to be considered when it comes to new technology innovation,” he told HPR.
Symoom explained that Honolulu’s old permitting system, which was often plagued by long wait times and permitting backlogs, was the perfect setting to implement streamlining AI technology.
“There are thousands and thousands of codes and bylaws and regulations that are very difficult for an individual to go through, but very straightforward for an AI to go through, and so that really creates a lot of efficiency,” he said.
Gov. Josh Green signed several bills into law in 2026 that aimed to curb and regulate the use of generative AI technology.
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into daily life — like with the AI-automated parking garages operated by Metropolis — the technology has raised concerns about data use and privacy.
“We're by no means collecting information on those designs, collecting information on those drawings, and storing that information,” Symoom explained, assuring that CivCheck’s software did store or train models on user-submitted data.
“The IP rests with the individuals that are submitting it. It's not captured by the system or utilized in any way.”
Residential permit applicants will be required to use CivCheck beginning September 1. More information about the AI tool can be found here.
This story aired on The Conversation on Aug. 12, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
